American Dream's Transit Options: By Land, Air And Sea

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – With American Dream’s grand opening two weeks away, those who want to visit the Meadowlands megamall may be wondering what is the best way to get there.

American Dream’s owner, Triple Five, projects 110,000 people will visit the $5 billion retail and amusement complex daily. Between 30 and 40 million people are expected to visit within its first year of opening. There’s also an estimated 17,000 employees the mall who need to find their way to work.

With some of the country’s most congested highways located in the Meadowlands, mall officials have been working to create options that’ll get visitors out of their cars and on to mass transit. They hope half of those visitors will opt for public transportation to the complex.

When there’s a big game or sold-out concert at MetLife Stadium, traffic tie-ups and transit delays are common.

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Bounded by three major highways – the New Jersey Turnpike, Route 3 and Route 120, the Meadowlands sees over 110 million vehicles annually. In nearby communities, there are over 21 million residents and the area has about 62 million tourists a year, according to estimates.

Getting There

The mall will have a ride-share hub and 30,000 parking spots, however it is not yet known if there will be a charge to park in the spaces. There's also an on-site helipad, if you happen to have access to a chopper.

Leading up to the Oct. 25 grand opening, American Dream announced new service offerings from NJ Transit and NY Waterway to get people to the mall from New York City and the surrounding area.

NY WATERWAY: New Bus-Ferry Service Will Be Available To American Dream

NJ TRANSIT: Bus Route Service Expanded, NYC Shuttle Added For American Dream

For the mall's opening, NJ Transit will debut daily express service from Port Authority Bus Terminal to the new mall that will run every 30 minutes. A second bus, No. 356, will run daily from Secaucus Junction to American Dream every half hour.

To help provide transportation options for workers at the mega-mall, NJ Transit will expand operating hours on three routes, No. 85 (Hoboken/Union City to Secaucus), No. 703 (Paterson/Passaic to East Rutherford) and No. 772 (Hackensack to the Meadowlands) and include stops at American Dream.

The express service from Manhattan will cost $9 each way, while the expanded service on local lines will be priced according to NJ Transit’s existing fare zones.

Though there’s a shuttle train from Secaucus Junction to MetLife Stadium, it is currently scheduled to run only for Giants and Jets home games or other major events.

NJ.com recently reported that regular rail service between the two points is on hold until NJ Transit “has enough crews and equipment to run those trains without affecting regular commuter service.” The agency is hoping buses will help alleviate traffic on local roads and highways, the newspaper reported.

American Dream also recently announced a partnership with NY Waterway to help people get to and from the soon-to-be-opened mall. Starting Oct. 25, NY Waterway will offer ferry-bus service from New York City to American Dream that’ll cost a combined $16 for a one-way trip.

Free multi-route shuttle buses will be available to get to the West 39th Street Midtown Ferry Terminal, where mall-goers can catch an eight-minute ferry ride across the Hudson River to Port Imperial in Weehawken. From there, dedicated buses will take riders to American Dream. The service will run Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. and on weekends from 10 a.m. to 11:30 p.m.

Earlier this month, American Dream announced a partnership with rideshare company Lyft, which includes designated Lyft pick-up and drop-off areas that are easily accessible to drivers and gives them a dedicated space to meet their riders.

There is skepticism that a significant portion of mall-goers will opt for public transportation, however.

Concerns have also been expressed by commuter advocacy groups as to how their routines would be impacted, given the widely-reported shortage of bus drivers NJ Transit has faced.

One group, the Association of Rail Riders, thinks a good litmus test of the traffic impact will be Nov. 23 and 24, when a Jets game is scheduled at MetLife Stadium and a two-day convention in honor of the HBO series "The Sopranos" is held at the Meadowlands Expo Center, NJTV News reported.

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According to NJ Transit, only 15% of football fans rely on public transportation to get to MetLife Stadium. A 2012 study said it’s likely that one-third of customers will forego their cars for transit, according to NJ.com.

The mall’s grand opening is scheduled for Oct. 25. However, shopping, dining and attractions at the $5 billion complex will open in four phases.

During the initial opening, Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park and The Rink will be open. The DreamWorks Water Park is set to open Nov. 27, followed by Big SNOW, the country's only indoor real-snow park, on Dec. 5. By March 2020, the mall's 350 retail stores will be open for business.

American Dream's more than 100 dining destinations – which include three food halls, a food court and nearly two dozen full-serve restaurants – will also open next spring, the developer said. Additionally, SEA LIFE Aquarium, LEGOLAND Discovery Center, CMX Luxury Movie Theater, Kidzania and the mall's Observation Wheel will be open by March.